Microsoft Deutschland GmbH has been fined $9 million by the German Bundeskartellamt (cartel or anti-trust agency) for anticompetitive MS Officepricing. Microsoft allegedly fixed a price at a retailer for its Office Home & Student 2007 product.

According to the federal agency, the Office Home & Student 2007 software was "heavily advertised in the autumn of 2008 in stationary retail outlets," among other things through a nationwide retailer by providing financial support. "Even before the launch of the advertising campaign in mid-October 2008, employees of Microsoft and the retailer in question had agreed on at least two occasions on the resale price of the software package."

Microsoft was accused of "actively trying to coordinate the pricing activities of the retailer" to determine its future actions. Microsoft accepted the fine, according to the agency announcement.

Related content

The Swiss federal agency known as Schweizerische Fachstelle für Informationstechnologien (SFIB) or Centre suisse des technologies de l'information dans l'enseignement (CTIE) has studied the user licenses for Microsoft products in Swiss schools. The result is a warning against the licensing and a recommendation to use open source products.

In February, the Swiss Federal Office for Construction and Logistics (Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik, or BBL) sealed a deal with Microsoft for an estimated 35-million-dollars worth of licenses. Red Hat, along with 17 other Open Source enterprises, has filed an official complaint.

The complaint from 18 open source service providers against the contract deal between Microsoft and the Swiss Federal Office of Construction and Logistics (BBL) has paid off. The Swiss Supreme Court has stopped the deal in its tracks.